GateHouse Media appoints Kirk Davis as chief executive officer

Friday

Feb 14, 2014 at 4:44 PMFeb 14, 2014 at 10:32 PM

GateHouse Media LLC, a leading multi-media company providing news and information to local communities, today announced that industry leader and company veteran Kirk Davis has been named chief executive officer.

Davis has been with GateHouse Media since 2006, most recently serving as president and chief operating officer. Mike Reed, previous chief executive officer of GateHouse Media, will be taking the role of chief executive officer of New Media Investment Group Inc.

"I have worked side by side with Kirk since 2006 and there is no better person to lead GateHouse Media," Reed said. "Kirk has a deep passion for our industry and is a true believer in the value and importance local media has in the communities we serve. He has been instrumental in leading GateHouse Media's digital growth strategy and operational change initiatives over the past few years. He is highly respected in the company and by his peers in our industry."

"I am grateful that Mike and New Media have the confidence in me to lead GateHouse Media into its next chapter and fortunate to be surrounded by a tremendous management team and more than 4,000 dedicated employees," Davis said. "With the company's improved capital structure and our focus and commitment on delivering high quality local content and growing our digital strategy, I believe we are poised to grow the company both organically and through strategic acquisitions."

In addition to overseeing the strategic direction and operations of GateHouse Media, Davis will also oversee Local Media Group Holdings LLC. GateHouse Media and Local Media Group Holdings LLC are both wholly owned subsidiaries of New Media Investment Group Inc.

Since joining GateHouse Media in 2006, Davis has held roles with increasing responsibility. He first oversaw the company's largest region, GateHouse Media New England. In 2009 he was promoted to president and chief operating officer of GateHouse Media.

Prior to joining GateHouse Media, he was CEO of Enterprise News Media LLC in Quincy, Mass. From 1995 to 2001 he held a variety of positions with Community Newspaper Company (CNC) where he served as president from 1998 to 2001. CNC comprised more than 120 daily, weekly and niche publications and accompanying web sites in Greater Boston, and was a division of Fidelity Investments. Prior to joining CNC, Davis held a variety of senior management positions with Ingersoll Publications and Thomson Newspapers. He began his career at the Lancaster (OH) Eagle-Gazette, his hometown newspaper.

Davis is past chairman of the board for the Local Media Association (formerly Suburban Newspapers of America) and currently serves on the board of the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM, formerly Audit Bureau of Circulations). AAM is a forum of the world's leading magazine, newspaper and digital publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies.